


Mister Sandman, Bring Me A Dream

by YellowBananaOwl



Series: Summer Christmas [1]
Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: M/M, Pining, Skipthur, fandot summer christmas, pre-skipthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-21 22:59:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11367414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellowBananaOwl/pseuds/YellowBananaOwl
Summary: Arthur does NOT have a compulsion. He's just very desperate for help.





	Mister Sandman, Bring Me A Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Cabin Pressure 12 days of Summer Christmas challenge  
> [The prompt ](http://linguini17.tumblr.com/post/162281586797/fandot-summer-christmas-prompt-1)
> 
> Characters belong to John Finnemore

The last pebble came on and Arthur took a final look at his masterpiece. It was smaller than he had meant it to be because it turned out sand wasn’t as cooperative as snow, and its head couldn’t be bigger than Mum’s hat.

Mum had rolled her eyes at him when he had asked to borrow her hat and she had mumbled something about him having a compulsion. He didn’t quite understand what she meant by that, but he didn’t care. Mum often said things like that, but she still let him do what he wanted. Now, he just hoped it would work.

”That’s… original.”

Arthur jumped at the sound of the voice behind him.

”Oh, hi Skip! I didn’t hear you. I thought you were going to stay in your room and read.”

”I was, but the book was boring so I decided to get some air and maybe a drink.” Martin looked at the thing Arthur had built. ”You really have a compulsion, don’t you?”

”That’s what Mum said too,” said Arthur. ”But this isn’t a snowman. It’s a sandman.”

”I can see that. But why have you made that instead of a more usual castle?”

Arthur felt his face get warm. ”Er… I…”

”Maybe you _do_ have a compulsion?”

”No, I don’t!” Arthur stated. ”I just… I mean… I just felt like it, okay?”

”Okay, don’t get upset. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s okay. You can make whatever you like to make.”

”Yes, I can.”

”Okay. I’ll just go and -”

”Do you want to build something with me, Skip? It doesn’t have to be a sandman.”

”I really shouldn’t stay out in the sun for too long, I haven’t put on any sunscreen. I’m just out for a quick trip.”

”Oh.” Arthur’s face fell with disappointment.

”Maybe some other time?” Martin suggested.

”Yeah.”

”See you later, Arthur.”

”See you later, Skip.”

Martin went on his way, and Arthur stayed behind with his sandman.

”Was that it?” he asked the sandman. ”All of that work just for that?”

One of the stick arms fell off and Arthur bent down to pick it up. He gripped it firmly and shoved it into the sandman’s side before falling to his knees next to it. His hands started playing with the sand.

”Mister Sandman. Bring me a dream.” Arthur started muttering under his breath. ”Make him the cutest, that I’ve ever seen.”

It was just a stupid song, he knew that. But he still had hoped that maybe, just maybe, Mister Sandman was actually real and could help him. He had nothing to lose because telling Skip that he liked him was impossible, and he could really use all the help he could get. Help that wasn’t Douglas or Mum. And right now, magic seemed to be the only option.

He guessed the Sandman in one way _had_ brought him Skip, but that could also just be a coincidence. After all, he did see Skip every day so he didn’t _really_ think it was the Sandman who had made him come down to the beach. Magic really was confusing.

Arthur shrugged and got up. He brushed the sand off his shorts and legs and headed towards the hotel. He needed a thorough shower before going out for food with the rest of MJN.

However, Douglas and Martin didn’t join them for dinner because, according to Mum, they had better places to be, and Mum seemed happy about not having to spend time with them. Arthur did his best to hide his disappointment, but it seemed as if Mum had picked up on it when she didn’t object to him declining dessert and deciding to go for a walk on the beach by himself.

He found the hat several feet from a large lump of sand with sunglasses on it. The tide had apparently decided that his sandman’s time was up. He picked up the hat and glasses and walked up towards some benches placed by the boardwalk. He sat down and looked at the waves washing away the rest of the non-magic creature.

”Ice cream?” Arthur hadn’t noticed anyone approaching him, but there he was, holding a lemon ice cream in front of him.

”Oh wow, thank you, Skip!” Arthur accepted the ice cream with a great smile.

”Can I join you?”

”Of course.” Arthur scooted over to make room for Martin.

”Oh, your sandman is gone,” said Martin and gave his own ice cream a long lick.

”Yeah. The tide took him, but it doesn’t matter.”

”Maybe you can build a new one tomorrow before we go home?”

”I don’t think I will,” said Arthur. ”There’s no point.”

”Why not? I didn’t realise you had to have a point to build one.”

”I guess I don’t, but still.”

”Do you want to build one now then?”

”Nah.”

”We can do it together,” Martin suggested.

Arthur’s face lit up. ”We can?”

”Sure.”

”I didn’t think you wanted to -”

”I didn’t earlier. It was too sunny and hot then, and I really was out just to get some air, but I don’t mind doing it now. It actually sounds kind of fun. But let’s do it further up the beach so the tide can’t reach it.”

”Brilliant!” Arthur beamed. ”After we’ve finished our ice creams. I don’t much like sand-flavoured ice cream.”

”Great plan,” said Martin and smiled.

***

The last pebble came on not long before the sun had disappeared into the ocean.

”That is one brilliant sandman,” Martin stated.

”It really is!” Arthur agreed. ”Thank you for helping me.”

”I didn’t help. We did it together.”

”That’s true.”

The two of them fell silent and looked at the sandman and the sunset.

”I like doing things with you, Skip,” said Arthur suddenly.

”You do?”

”I do.”

”Well, I like doing things with you too, Arthur.”

”I mean, we often do things, I mean, MJN things, but I like it when it’s just me and you.”

Arthur didn’t know where it came from, but he was not going to let the sudden wave of courage pass him.

”It is quite nice, isn’t it?” Martin added.

”It really is. Even better than the roadtrip in Spain.”

”Not quite as hot.”

”Yeah, we don’t need air conditioning now.”

”And no pumping up tires or stressful deadlines.”

”And no Mum or Douglas telling us what to do.”

They were standing awfully close now, and Arthur suddenly became very nervous. He looked away from Skip just in time to see the last beam of sun sink into the ocean.

Arthur gasped. ”The magic beam.”

”The what?” Martin asked.

”Er, nothing. Just something stupid. Just forget it.”

”No, tell me,” Martin insisted.

”I can’t.”

”You can. You can tell me anything.”

”No, Skip. I can’t.”

”You absolutely can, Arthur. Anything at all.”

”Anything?”

”Anything.”

”I - ” Arthur started, but he didn’t know how to continue.

”Go on.”

”I - er, I mean you - no, I -”

”Arthur?” Martin interrupted, and Arthur appreciated the distraction. He really didn’t know how to go on. He couldn’t tell Skip, could he?

”Yes, Skip?”

”Can you just kiss me, already?”

”What?”

”Kiss me.”

”Yes, Skip.”

Walking back to the hotel, fingers linked with Martin’s, Arthur smiled and took a final look at the creation on the beach. Maybe the sandman had worked after all?


End file.
